Vision: A community of opportunity where everyone has hope and can reach their full potential | |
Mission: To solve our community’s toughest challenges by connecting people, resources and ideas | |
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Happy Monday. I hope everyone had a rejuvenating weekend. There was something for everyone – sun on Saturday and rain on Sunday. 😊
We have a couple of strategic check-ins this week. Today, Winston Faircloth, the consultant Coretta Hill engaged to help us improve our timeliness in processing donations, met with the donor services team to discuss progress and next steps.
On Thursday, led by Coretta and James Ellout, the Senior Leadership Team will hold a strategic planning session as we start planning priorities for FY 24/25 and beyond. We will share the results on the strategic planning session in a future meeting.
As discussed in a previous Monday Message, town hall meetings beginning this month will be virtual on the first Tuesday of every month, 8:30-9:30 a.m. Our next town hall meeting will be tomorrow morning, Feb. 6, facilitated by Coretta. Our strategic plan officially ends in June, and as the Leadership Team discusses our priorities for the next plan, Coretta has questions for your input tomorrow morning. In addition to a facilitated discussion tomorrow morning in the town hall, there will be time for you to raise any issues or questions. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. on Teams.
-Melanie
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Happy Birthday:
Vicki Lunsford - 2/6
Gary Woodard - 2/11
Happy Anniversary:
Russel Rodgers - 2/6 (1 year)
Kimberly Sapp - 2/7 (2 years)
Kristie McBee - 2/7 (2 years)
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Staff Profile
Coretta Hill
Position/Department: Chief Operating Officer, Management and General
Years at United Way: 1 since her most recent return, 18 in total
Why are you passionate about United Way and/or your work?
I am passionate about the people! It always starts and ends with people for me. I believe every individual should be given the opportunity to excel to their full potential, which is also aligned with our vision as United Way. While the important work we do is to create a community that provides opportunity and hope for all people, it is my heart's desire to ensure we model what we want to see externally with home first. I love seeing people thrive and grow personally and professionally.
Hometown: Albany, Georgia
What's a fun fact about yourself?
I used to be a news writer for the Albany Herald newspaper in Georgia in the mid-1990s. It was a job to help me gain writing experience for a career in corporate public relations. I actually wrote a story about the United Way campaign one year where I chose to feature the people and impact instead of how much money they raised. The story was so successful the president at the time called me months later to offer me a position as director of communications and campaigns. That was the beginning of my United Way career.
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Favorite Book: Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek and Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson (it's hard to pick one)
Favorite Band: After 7
Favorite Movie: The Best Man (the entire series)
Hobbies: I enjoy reading, writing, bowling (when I have time) and taking fitness classes with my daughter.
Pets: Yes, I have a dog, a little Morkie named Tommy.
Favorite thing to do in Northeast Florida: My favorite thing to do in Northeast Florida is to visit boutiques around town and surrounding areas. One of my go-to places are the cute little shops in Fernandina Beach. I love supporting locally owned businesses and restaurants. The scenic drives along the beach are also a favorite while on the way to do a little shopping.
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Congratulations on your promotions, Kristie and Kelsey! | |
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Congratulations to Kristie McBee on her promotion to Relationship Development Manager effective Feb. 12. Kristie will report to Alecia Givens, Senior Manager of the Resource Development department. Kristie originally joined the United Way team in 2022 as our 211 Outreach Coordinator. We are excited for Kristie and confident she will continue to develop impactful relationships to help United Way serve our community!
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Congratulations as well to Kelsey Morrow on her promotion to Manager of Individual Giving effective today, Feb. 5. Her new position will focus on our Women United, Atlantic Circle and Stein Fellowship groups. She will also be helping drive communication and stewardship in the Leaders United donor segments. Kelsey will report to Kenya Bell, Director of Major Gifts and Individual Giving. Kelsey is a boomerang: she was first employed with United Way of Northeast Florida from 2013 to 2015 and then again from 2019 to 2020. She had most recently returned as a seasonal member of our MLK Week of Service efforts. We are happy to have Kelsey growing with the team in her new role!
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A Warm Welcome to Rayme, Gary and Brittany!
We have a few new people joining the team this week and mid to late last week.
Last Monday, Rayme McCoy permanently joined the team as a 211 Referral Specialist. Rayme is from Jacksonville, Florida. Rayme enjoys spending time with her daughter, trying new restaurants and traveling. Having previously worked for United Way of Northeast Florida as a temp, Rayme is very excited to be a permanent new addition to the team and looks forward to working with you all!
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We also welcomed Gary Woodard to the United Way of Northeast Florida team last Thursday as the new 211 Call Center Operations Director. Gary brings years of leadership and business transformation experience as well as a personal commitment to the most important component of any organization: people. This opportunity is a return for Gary, as he was born and raised on Jacksonville's Northside and has been residing out of state for over 10 years. Let's welcome Gary to the team and back home to Jacksonville.
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Last but not least, Brittany Ezelle is joining us as the new Digital Marketing Manager in the Marketing and Commmunications department. Brittany is a writer specializing in digital marketing and social media. She hails from Jacksonville, Florida, and discovered her passion for serving local businesses while working at a credit union. Though she loves writing, she will gladly put down the pen for an afternoon hike with her dog, Artie!
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2023 Tax Documents Now Available
Your 2023 tax documents (W-2s and 1095-Cs) are available to download and print from Paychex. Employees should have received them in the mail from Paychex. If not, please login to Paychex to save and print yours now. The Tax Documents are located below the “Time Off” section on your Paychex homepage.
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New Mileage Reimbursement Process
Business mileage reimbursement rate has now increased to 67 cents per mile.
Business mileage is considered any driving done solely for business purposes. For example, driving out of the office to meet clients, get supplies or run other business errands. Note that commuting between your home and your place of work is not considered business mileage. In simple terms, any time you drive from one place of work to another, that's a business mile.
If, however, you drive from your home to the first site other than your principal place of business, then the mileage to the first job and the mileage from the last job back to your home are not reimbursable. Any business-related trips in-between are reimbursable. For example, you leave home and drive 5 miles to the first site, then drive 10 miles to the second site. At the end of the day, you drive 15 miles home. Only the 10 miles between jobs are deductible. The first trip in the morning from home and the last trip at night back home are considered commuting and are not reimbursable.
See Olga Mendoza's original Jan. 31 email for the Mile Reimbursement Form (we recommend saving this somewhere handy) and more information. You can also click here for a filled-out example sheet.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Olga Mendoza.
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Key Fobs Usage in Building
We wanted to inform you about a recent update regarding the use of key fobs for accessing our main suite and board room.
You now have the convenience of using your key fob to access the board room. Please ensure you scan your key fob only once when accessing the board room or entering our suite. Scanning it multiple times could potentially unlock the door for an unintended duration.
If you have lost your key fob, please report the matter to Human Resources immediately. Do not hesitate to do this.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to Laurrie Campbell.
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Brew Haven: Where Productivity Meets Percolation – Start Sipping in Style
Enter the contest to rename our employee lounge! Write your name and suggestion on a slip of paper and drop it in the green box located near the coffee by Tuesday, Feb. 13, to enter. Full Service Schools, 211 and 988 team members working off-site may send an email with an entry to Mary Clarke. The ideas will be sent out as a survey on Thursday, Feb. 15, for everyone to vote online. The winner will receive a $20 gift card and will be announced in the Monday Message on Feb. 19.
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Hightower Emerging Leaders Fellowship Opportunity
The deadline to submit the Hightower Fellowship Survey for United Way is Tuesday, Feb. 6. If we receive multiple internal candidates, the Leadership Team will review responses and will select one employee. That individual will then need to submit a formal application to the JAX Chamber by Feb. 15. United Way will pay the $600 fee for participation in the Hightower Fellowship for one employee. Learn more at Hightower Fellowship | JAX Chamber. If you have any questions, please contact your Leadership Team member.
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Blue Zones Pledges
Thanks to the Blue Zones Jacksonville team for hosting an information table and sharing fresh fruit with us last week. We are excited that over 20 employees have already signed the Blue Zones Project Personal Pledge to incorporate healthy practices into their daily lives. Click here to sign the United Way of Northeast Florida Blue Zones Project Personal Pledge, too, and start your journey to live better and longer!
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MARKETING AND COMMUNICATION | |
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United Way Templates and New Materials
Don’t forget to make use of the Marketing Resources folder in the All Staff Team. As a reminder, you need to download or otherwise save a copy of things like digital letterhead, PowerPoint templates, etc. before you personalize things (otherwise, that template will have your content or edits in the document for the next person that needs it).
Some new items in the folder (and/or we have printed in house):
- PowerPoint Presentation – this is an easily personalized deck that serves as an overview of United Way. It can be bulked up or slimmed down as needed, or you can add a company logo, swap out select images and more. You’ll find it in the campaign subfolder.
- Poster – we have a new poster for use in campaigns. It is available printed via a material request, but you can also print this digital file easily on the color copier. This is also in the campaign subfolder.
Keep checking in as we add more to the Marketing Resources on Teams in the coming weeks!
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100th Anniversary Updates
Our 100th anniversary cool factor keep rising as we have two fun updates to share:
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Melanie Patz will be heading to Tallahassee next week to be recognized with four other Florida United Ways regarding their 100th Anniversary. United Way Suncoast, United Way of Greater Miami and United Way of West Florida are also turning 100 this year. One of the United Ways had a brilliant idea of requesting a state proclamation, which will be read on the Senate floor on Feb. 14. The previous evening, leadership from these United Ways – including Melanie – will meet with their local legislators at a special evening reception. We are excited for this opportunity – stay tuned for the pics!
- Secondly, Patrick Moran has secured an agreement with the Jaguars to sponsor our Kids Zone at the 100th anniversary concert celebration on April 13. The Jags will have activities for kids on the James Weldon Johnson Park front lawn. We can’t wait to see it all unfold!
Plus, did you know you can help us spread the word about the April 13 concert? Please share our Facebook event and LinkedIn event listings with your social networks. Questions about 100th anniversary plans or want to help out? Email Sarah Henderson.
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United Way of Northeast Florida's Internal Staff Campaign | |
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It’s that most wonderful time of the year! No, not Christmas or Valentine's Day — it’s time for our Staff Campaign! What does this mean, you ask? It means we help raise money through an internal fundraising campaign for United Way’s work just like our partners’ teams.
This year, our Staff Campaign has been planned by a wonderful group of volunteers: Mary Clarke, Milena Gil, Jackie Johnson, Mark Mitchell, Patrick Moran, Jo El Snyder, Hope Sumner and Corrine Tippins. Thank you to this great planning committee.
The theme for this year is our 100th anniversary! We will have lots of decade-oriented and history-oriented activities. Check out this flyer for a schedule of events, summary of the campaign and an FAQ.
We are still looking for captains for two of the teams. Please call or email Patrick Moran if you’d like to be a captain. See the above linked flyer for more info.
Please note some team members will be participating in a Thankathon week kicking off on Feb. 14. The original Thankathon calendar hold has been removed, and those involved will be receiving their Thankathon info prior to Feb. 14.
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VOLUNTEER & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT | | |
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United Way Volunteer Hub
If your department uses volunteers in any way or you want to learn more about the United Way of Northeast Florida’s Volunteer Hub, please be sure to reach out to the VCE department. VCE is eager to be of service and to share the awesome benefits of the Volunteer Hub!
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Don't see below a key date you'd like listed? Request your supervisor submit to it in next week's Monday Message template (due Friday).
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Feb. 11: 211 Day
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Feb. 14: State Capitol 100th Anniversary Recognition
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Feb. 14: Start of Thankathon
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Feb. 29: Financial Well-being Open House
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March 3: Melanin Market Black 365 Parade and Celebration (United Way is a sponsor)
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March 7: Tocqueville Society Spring Soiree
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April 13: Uniting for Tomorrow: 100th Anniversary Community Celebration
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